All Along The Watchtower

The clock struck six. He slammed his cabin door behind him. He could feel the rush in his bones, today would be fun.

He hurried to the Parking lot. Spotting his car, he took no time to put it into gear.

As he manoeuvred his car through the traffic, his thoughts went back to the first day he had met her, 5 years ago.

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.

It was pouring outside. Shielding her hair with her bare hands, she had rushed into the tea stall. While she was busy brushing off the water drops soaking into her clothes, he had noticed how pretty she was. The kind of pretty you could obtain only with very expensive make up, but pretty nonetheless.

She had ordered a cup of chai and lit up her Marlboro lights, taking in a long faithful drag.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he heard her say after a few minutes, breaking him away from his daily crossword.

She seated herself down before he could say anything.

“Want a smoke?” “No. Thanks. I don’t smoke”

She shrugs.

“The sudden April shower is quite the surprise no? Who would’ve thought we would be caught in a middle of what it seems to be, the shower of the decade, this morning? Not like a mind rain or anything. It’s beautiful when it rains. It slows things down to the most amazing pace” She kept on chirping.

“I’m sorry for acting like such a dad, but we don’t even know each other” He remembered asking with a smile.

“Oh okay” She had straightened up a bit, “Do you like The Beatles?”

“Yea, I had briefly heard some of their songs in college. I remember I had liked them”

“Well, that’s one thing we’ve got then. We know something about each other now don’t we?” , she said with one of the most radiating smiles he had ever witnessed.

And it had begun.

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He banged the steering wheel as he stopped at yet another red signal. This was taking forever. Couldn’t things just go in his favour at least once?

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She showed me her room isn’t it good Norwegian wood?

He remembered feeling like a thief when he’d left work early to meet Megha for the second time. But this time, they’d upgraded form a chaiwala to a quaint little eating joint she’d suggested.

She gave her million dollar smile the moment she spotted him.

“You showed up. Brilliant!”

He laughs uncomfortably “Yeah, well what else could I have done?”

It then proceeded to be one of the most engrossing meals of his life. Their talks ranged from films to politics, books to the stock market. His adrenalin just kept on pumping through his blood. It had been years.

“Listen, before you get any ideas, I wanted to tell you something. Something I hadn’t mentioned before”, he hesitates.

“Yea. What’s up?”

“I’m married.”

“Okay”; she had replied, like it didn’t matter at all.

“For almost 12 years now”

“Good for you. Listen, my place is just 5 minutes from here. Want to accompany me for some freshly brewed coffee?”

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The roads were clear now. He’s moved on the fourth gear. Things were finally picking up pace. Thoughts drifted off to times when he had just met Megha .He recollected of the restless days he’d spend just thinking about the implications about diving in too deep with her. But he had felt helpless; she was just so bloody different than any other woman he had ever met.

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I sat on her rug; biding my time, drinking her wine.

We spoke until 2, and then she said, it’s time for bed.

“Shit. Woman, you looked so very hot today”

She slyly smiles at him “Yea, I know”

He takes a last drag and stubs out the butt. He wastes no time.

“Slow down stud. We’ve got all night. You’re out of town for a meeting remember?”

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He finally reaches his destination. He parks his car 5 minutes away from her building. He can barely control himself.

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She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.

I told her I didn’t and crawled on to sleep in the bath.

“Wow. It’s been almost a year since we last met.”

“I know. I just had to get out of this city you know? It was strangling me”

“I wish I knew you before”

“What?”

“This time apart got me thinking. I wish I’d met you when time was still on my side. I would’ve been something much more than this.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“I don’t”

She sighs. Takes another drag of her Marlboro, she looks at him and says “Go back to your wife stud. She loves you.”

“Don’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter... It’s time you head back home”

“Wait! What?! Are you serious?! Please don’t do this M. I love you. I need you. I’ve never met a woman like you and I really need you to be with me”

“It’s been a good run.” She starts getting up, gathering her purse “Maybe I’ll run into you one day in some tea stall again”.

Just like that, all she left was the sound of her heels clicking away from him.

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He used his own set of keys to enter her flat. He knew she wouldn’t be at home now. He walks towards her cupboard. He takes out her folder of documents. He opens the folder to see her passport, insurance papers, voter’s ID, PAN card- and every other document he could think of; which proved her existence on paper.

He chucks them all in the waste paper basket.

He takes out his match box. Efficiently lights the match. Stares at the anger of the flame for a second, and chucks it in with the papers and walks out.

And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown.

So I lit a fire, isn’t it good, Norwegian wood?

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He enters home to be rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and a smile.

“Hello husband. How was your day today?”

“Sakshi, you won’t believe it, but it was so terribly incomplete. Till I got that kiss of yours that is”

“Aww. How did I get so lucky to get such a wonderful man like you?”